Almost everyone has some type of electronic device and for the majority of us it’s our phones that are literally attached to us as if it were another appendage. A lot of us do not go anywhere without them and are constantly on our phones. Many of us have become so reliant on our smartphones, we use them to carry out a whopping 221 tasks every day. With that being said, here are a few apps that you might find helpful if not for yourself, maybe for someone else you know.

Google Wallet (New)

Even though Google has Pay, a new app, Wallet is still around, relegated to Google’s payment sending and receiving service. At this point it’s an extremely stripped-down version of PayPal, and this rejuvenated Wallet app (package name: G Money) is just for managing and sending money.

The new Google Wallet makes it easy to send money to anyone in the US with an email address, even if they don’t have an existing Wallet account. It’s fast, easy, and free to send money directly from your debit card, bank account, or Wallet Balance. The Google Wallet Card lets you instantly spend money you receive through Google Wallet. You can use it to pay at millions of locations in the US, wherever Debit MasterCard® is accepted, or use it to withdraw cash from the ATM.

Oink

Oink is a popular app that allows parents to manage allowances for their kids. Basically the system is a super-simple bank for children that can only get funds from parents, and it includes tracking options to see what the kids spend that money on. Oink features multiple profiles for families with more than one child, and tools allow you to freeze accounts (for when they’re grounded, I suppose?) or unfreeze them at any time.

The Oink app is a free to use app that allows families to setup and manage payments for all family members. Teens and tweens can manage their funds using the COPPA compliant Oink app. The new Android app allows parents to monitor their children’s spending, and deliver emergency funds instantly. Parents can also freeze and unfreeze the account instantly using the new app.

FanDuel

If you’ve watched any college or pro football in the last three weeks, you know that FanDuel is inescapable. The ads are everywhere, and now they’ve even convinced ESPN to feature fantasy picks during actual broadcasts. This is an official app for the betting service.

FanDuel brings you one-day fantasy sports leagues for real money. Winners get immediate cash payouts. No season-long commitment. Join public leagues or play with friends. Over $10 million paid out every week. Entry fees start from $1. Featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo. Sports. Unlike traditional fantasy leagues that run for the entire season, FanDuel leagues last for just one day or one week, so you’ll get to pick new teams on a weekly or daily basis.

Opera Max

Unless you’re lucky enough to have unlimited data on your phone, or a bottomless wallet, you’ll want to get the most out of your data package.

This is where Opera Max comes in. It crunches down the size of images and videos, speeds up website load times, and typically saves you from around a third to almost half of your general data use. You can restrict some apps to only ever connect via Wi-Fi, and temporarily turn off connections if you want to save some data for the end of the month.

The downside? You have to remember to “top up” your charge every week. While that’s completely free to do, it is a little bit of an inconvenience.

Pocket (free)

Found an article you like but want to read it later, when you may not have an internet connection? Pocket is the solution to your problem.

Allowing you to save articles and videos to read and watch later across any Pocket-enabled device, you’ll never be short of something to read or share again.

It’s the perfect distraction for Tube journeys, flights and those long train trips in signal black holes.

Unclouded (free; with in-app purchases)

Juggling two, three or even four online storage accounts can become an absolute headache. Thankfully, Unclouded is here to alleviate your concerns.

Pulling all your connected accounts into one uncluttered interface, Unclouded lets you access your files from one location, no matter where they’re stored. Unclouded currently supports Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box and Mega, so it’s really only iCloud users who are left out.

For one or two accounts it’s free to use, but if you want to manage the content of any others, you’ll need to pay. Thankfully Unclouded lets you pick and choose services you’d like, so you’re never paying for something you don’t use.

Google Play Books (Free)

Like to use your Android device to read? While there are plenty of ebook apps out there, Google’s own Play Books is fantastic.

Usually coming preinstalled on vanilla Android devices, Google’s ebook reader packs in features other free apps lack. And while the capability may not be initially apparent, you can upload your own ebooks and PDF files to Play Books and access them on any Android device associated with your login, with your progress synced across devices. This means you can read on your tablet when at home, then pick up your phone and carry on reading when out and about. Not bad for a free app.

Mood Trek (Free for Android)

Depression affects roughly 16 million adults in the United States alone, yet many patients see a psychiatrist only once every 2 to 3 months. Between visits, patients may not remember how their mood has varied, a fact that led to development of the MoodTrek app. This app helps track mood, activity, and sleep in depressed patients so that these patients can receive optimum treatment.

What’s different about this app compared to others is that it combines voth active input (mood logging) and passive input (Fitbit activity records). Also, the app includes a helpline that can connect the user with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline(1-800-273-TALK).

MoneySmart’s Track My Spend

This app is great to use over a set period of time (i.e. a pay check period or if you’re following a set budget as a way to know exactly where every cent of your money is spent). It allows you to categorize your purchases into things like transportation, entertainment, dining out, personal and medical and choose whether the purchase is a need or a want.

Being accountable for your spending and seeing where your money goes can make a big difference in how you create a budget moving forward, so the potential for savings from this app could be huge.

PayPal.Me

This allows you to make payments to friends and family who use PayPal via text, email, post or web page, without having to enter your details. You can also choose how you pay (i.e. via a bank account, credit card or PayPal balance). Plus you can use this app to execute multiple payments or split payments.

The next few apps I discovered while watching Jeff Rossen, a journalist known for his famous, very informative and insightful, “Rossen Reports”. He works for NBC News and does a segment on The Today Show. If you haven’t caught any of his reports you are missing some great reporting. Personally, I have learned and become aware of so many things because of his reporting. You have to check him out! His social media accounts are: facebook.com/rossenreports and on Twitter @jeffrossen.

Companion

Imagine virtually walking a friend home at night without ever having to leave your house, or remotely accompanying your son or daughter on a trip while they’re away at college.

Thanks to a new app called Companion, friends can virtually walk friends home by following their GPS coordinates on a map displayed on their cell phone. The app taps into the phone’s built-in sensors to also detect changes in movement. For example, if the walker stops moving or pulls out his or her headphones, the app will alert the companion.

For extra safety, the app also lets companions call the police if they don’t receive confirmation that the walker is okay within 15 seconds of a change in movement. The app will also signal an alert on the walker’s phone, displaying siren-like sounds and displaying a button for the walker to call the police.

The app connects walkers to companions when the walker texts a link to the person among his contact list that he’s chosen to walk him home virtually. Walkers can also select to send an “I feel nervous” alert to a companion on their list, prompting the companion to follow a route remotely.

Students at the University of Michigan created the app when searching for a way to feel safer during late-night walks back to their apartments or dorms.

The app, which was launched to the public just two weeks ago, already has more than 500,000 new users. The app’s founders plan to roll out more features in the future, including touch-ID technology so that only the walker could hit the “I’m OK” button.

The app has the potential to bring an extra layer of safety to pedestrians in cities and campuses around the world.

Circle of 6

With Circle of 6, you can connect with your friends to stay close, stay safe and prevent violence before it happens.

The Circle of 6 app for iPhone and Android makes it quick and easy to reach the 6 friends you choose.

Need help getting home? Need an interruption? Two touches lets your circle know where you are and how they can help.

Icons represent actions; so that no one can tell what you’re up to.

Designed for college students, it’s fast, easy-to-use and private.

It’s the mobile way to look out for your friends, on campus or when you’re out for the night.

LifeLine Response

An app to prevent assaults before they happen using your own natural response. It’s an advanced panic button. It’s like having a personal burgular alarm with a fully staffed 24/7 professional monitoring service. Set up with information to identify you to 911 in case of an emergency is required. 911 is called and responders are dispatches on your behalf during critical safety situations.

Two modes are available: thumb mode which is perfect for short distances or when you’re feeling vulnerable or timer mode for longer distances like going for a run. This app not only tracks a phone user, but will even call the police instantly if the user’s thumb is removed from the screen.

Ibotta

This app is good for cash back coupons. It’s similar to ebates. Some work is required to do it but you do get cash back in minutes. Cash back or a gift card is on everything you buy. There are exclusive deals on leading brands at some of your favorite stores. Choose any brand for a particular item and began to get money back. Manufacturers’ coupons can also be used in conjunction.

There are so many useful apps out there. This is only a little tip of the iceberg. I hope you find these helpful in your life, if not pass them on to someone else. I know for a fact that eceryone knows someone who would benefit from on of those tracking apps. With some much crime out in the world today, the tracking apps may help save someone’s life.

*This blog post is for informational purposes only. Always do your own research before deciding to use any products for personal use.

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Disclosure:

The information contained on this blog is offered as information only and not as professional advice. Users should consult their own dental and/or medical professional, in person, for such advice.

Photo: Brandywine Park (Wilmington, Delaware)

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